Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Nadiral Tim

Starting pitcher:
JC Parsons

This season continues to be a test to all true Giants fans...a "torture," if you will. The culprit to blame for the 8-6 loss wasn't the anemic offense, which we have so often bemoaned. This time it was the rock-bottom performance of Tim Lincecum. His shortest outing of the year ( 4 innings, 89 pitches ) and worst : 8 hits ( including another HR ), 6 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts. The scariest part was giving up four runs in the first inning...Flemm described it as shocking. Tim is a quality start machine (each of his six previous starts vs. Chi, for example) and to have him blow chow within minutes rattled me to the core.

According to the coolest customer in Giants fandom, Grant of McCovey Chronicles, my near panic is because I'm spoiled. His point is well taken. As the resident Freak-aholic, I regularly admit that following Tim is a sweet gig. That article was written before tonight's new low...I wonder if it's cool to panic yet? I'm sorry...anxiety comes naturally to me.

Nothing to worry about when it comes to Buster. The league has not figured him out and I'm not sure if you can. Doubles to each gap, four RBI's... the kid is having fun!

I remember going to back-to-back games in the late 80s (sorry I can't be more specific, but it was one of those "good team" eras), back when Will The Thrill was The Man. In the first game, he struck out in his last three ABs, and he also struck out in his first three in the next game. And we are talking overmatched--like Juan Uribe against Carlos Marmol last night. SIX STRAIGHT Ks for one of the best hitters in the game. Even the great ones fail sometimes. The fact that it is so rare with Tim is what gives us the heebee-jeebees when it does happen.

The re-emergence of Buster was a welcome sight, and a harbinger of better offensive days to come. Pablo still looks like shit to me, the one of his hits that I saw was at his shoes and way outside after watching a strike down the middle. Still, we'll take them. Hopefully, a few hits will relax the man at the plate, he looks as tense as a Panda can. I like that the team again battled back and almost tied the score in the ninth. Of course, once you hear the phrase "lost 11 of their last 12" a couple of times you have to know that it is going to change. That is just the way that baseball, and life, works. Nadiral - zat a word?

Someone needs to ask this question, and I guess it will have to be me. Would it be worthwhile for Tim to miss a start to get himself re-oriented? I know his next scheduled start is the finale against SD and we need victories. Maybe the start after. It is not that I do not have confidence in his ability to get it together, but I wonder if he could use a little extra time. A suggestion on Extra Baggs is to call his dad. Not sure I quite buy the reasoning, but Tim's frustration is etched in his face. He says it is mechanical, not physical. We need him pitching, but we are in the dog days, and it would be nice to have monster Tim down the stretch. Hopefully Zito and Cain can log some significant innings and give the relievers a rest. Sanchez, Bumgarner and Tim going consecutive short outings make a lot of work for relief pitchers. They have been, for the most part, spectacular.

OF COURSE you make this stuff up. But I knew "nadiral" was a word, and if it wasn't, it should have been, so I was down with it. It's 7 letters long, too, so that's a 50-point bonus! When you whip out "nadirally" or "Nadiralism" or "nadiralissitude" or "nadiralonomy" or "nadiralation" THEN I will call you on it.

(Imagine how you'll feel when you get to use "Zenithal Tim.")

I think Zo has a good point. I'd rather see him miss a start--a planned miss--than have him run out of gas in September (or, Dog Willing, October). Nothing wrong with "babying" your no. 1 guy a bit. Maybe he can do some sessions with Rags between starts and work out some of the kinks. He's a great pitcher, but even great pitchers have bumps in the road.

"The younger Lincecum admitted afterward he’s tried to distance himself from his dad’s tutelage now that he’s an established major-league star and wants to be able to correct mechanical issues himself." - Extra Baggs

Something about that rubs me the wrong way. I love Timmeh, but, now that he's an established Major League star he's too good for help? I mean, it's fine to feel good about yourself and have enough confidence to feel that you can be able to help yourself, but, if I need help and my Daddy can help, I call him. I listen to what he has to say. No one should feel ashamed about getting help, it is those who continue to struggle who should feel ashamed. I'm proud of him to try to fix himself out, but, I'm also very relieved that it's just a mechanical issue that he will get help in fixing. GO PAPA LINCECUM! GO GIANTS!